


Happy Jinx

by ItsKarla



Category: Emmerdale, robron
Genre: Alternative Timeline, Dad Aaron Dingle, Dad Robert Sugden, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, MY robron timeline, Robron are dads, Sad and Happy, Soulmates, happiness, sad moments happen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:28:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25588282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsKarla/pseuds/ItsKarla
Summary: “What are you doing here anyway?“ Ben asks them.Aaron stops himself from saying: We are celebrating our proposal anniversary with an annual fuck on the back seat.There goes his annual fuck on the back seat, what a bloody shame. He sighs.———A little fic about Aaron and Robert and their lay-by, their love and their family.Basically it‘s Robron until the end.
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Comments: 34
Kudos: 101





	Happy Jinx

**Author's Note:**

> Happy proposal anniversary you lovely lot!
> 
> I wrote a little something for this special day.  
> Please read the summary carefully! 
> 
> I hope you like this fic as much as I do! ❤️

**2018**

“Jinx!“ he blurts out and they both start giggling like lovestruck teenagers.

“I‘m still saying yeah, you know?“ Aaron says after they calmed down a bit. 

“Yeah, me too!“ Robert‘s heart is racing in his chest.

He is sitting there with a beer in his hand on the hood of his car and somehow this is even more romantic than he ever imagined. Now that they are here in  _ their _ spot, where it all started, where he made his mad lunge... and how fucking perfect is that? 

“Can‘t believe you stole my idea.”

Of course Aaron and his usual grumpiness had to ruin the moment. Good thing he loves that scowling face.

“Shut up and kiss me, idiot.“

The smile Aaron gives him is brighter than the sun and bloody blinding. Robert is going to see this for the rest of his life and he is more than okay with that.

  
  
  


**2020**

Robert always calls it their tradition, but Aaron only rolls his eyes. 

“This is only the third year, Robert, it‘s hardly a tradition.“

They are at their lay-by again, because it‘s July 30th, it‘s jinx. The sun is burning hot, Aaron is sweating in his black shirt, but wearing it is kind of a tradition.

_ No! Fuck, it‘s NOT tradition. _

Shut up, traitorous brain. Aaron looks at his husband who miraculously looks better every damn year. 

_ And then, there‘s you. No one ever comes close. _

There are a few wrinkles around his eyes, his hair is styled to the point of perfection. He’s lost a bit weight over the past year and his jaw is sharp as fuck. And Aaron wants to write poems about the tiny dimple on his chin, because it‘s adorable. But Aaron can‘t write - or rhyme for that matter - so he goes with simple staring and drooling.

“I have a surprise for you,“ Robert says after a moment.

“Yeah?“ Aaron smiles, curious now. 

Robert smiles back at him, his green eyes flicker quickly over his face and-

_ Is he tearing up?!  _

Robert Sugden-Dingle being close to tears is rare. That surprise must be huge.

“Natalie called me yesterday…“

“Oi, why didn‘t you tell me!“ Aaron asks and slaps his husband‘s thigh. They usually put their surrogate on speaker and talk to her together.

“Cos then it‘s not a surprise anymore, idiot,“ Robert snorts and shakes his head.

Apparently the word ‘idiot‘ is like a Pavlovian thing now, because Aaron feels the urge to kiss Robert, and damn, it‘s their anniversary, so he gives in and leans over.

They get distracted quickly.

An hour later Aaron climbs out of the back seat of his car and buckles up his jeans. His husband is huge and them managing to have car sex is a bit like tetris, but what is a lousy cramp in comparison to a mindblowing orgasm, right?

He looks at his phone to check the time. His lockscreen is a picture of them, both grinning like idiots, taken right after Natalie agreed to be their surrogate. Suddenly he is reminded of the surprise again.

“Oi, what‘s that surprise now? Something with Natalie?“

The softest of smiles is back on his favourite freckled face.

“Yeah, I spoke to her. She went to see her doctor, because she felt a pull in her belly-”

“What?“ Aaron shrieks.

“Yeah, apparently she didn‘t want to worry us -” Aaron wants to interrupt again, but Robert stops him, “I made her promise that she has to call us, day or night, if anything,  _ anything _ happens. Alright, back to the story. She went to her doctor and they did a scan…“

Aaron‘s breath hitches and Robert‘s eyes are getting glassy again. His chin wobbles. 

“There are two babies, Aaron. We‘re having twins.“

  
  
  


**2023**

Robert pulls the car over. He can‘t believe their double proposal was 5 years ago. 5 years.

They always told him that time flew when you had kids and Jesus Christ, had they been right. Where the heck did all this time go?!

“Happy jinx anni-”

“Shhhhh, you‘re waking them up!“ Aaron hisses with a hushed voice.

Robert turns around and looks at the backseat of the car. Ben and Abi are sitting in their safety seats, out like a light, with heads twisted to the side, totally exhausted from playing with Eve. He gives Aaron a raised eyebrow.

“I‘m sorry,” Aaron whispers sheepishly, “I‘m just glad they‘re finally sleeping.“

Robert sighs. He gets it, he really does. When they don‘t sleep during the day they turn into little Gremlins. Gremlins that he loves more than his own life, but still. Gremlins. 

“Happy anniversary,“ he says quietly. 

“Happy anniversary.“

It‘s raining cats and dogs outside, so they can‘t leave the car. Robert looks at his fit, sexy husband and sighs again. They can‘t get into sexy business with the kids being there - mind you, this is not only a problem right now. It is definitely more difficult getting laid with twins and a big brother on visit every second week. Often they are exhausted at the end of the day or forced to do household stuff. 

In between changing nappies, dancing to kids music, playing with various toys and work there isn‘t much time for ‘the horizontal’ as his stepmother would put it. 

Liv calls them boring now. 

_ We probably are. _

They sit there in silence, but it‘s not an awkward silence between them. It never is. It‘s just enjoying each other‘s presence.

Robert locks his gaze on the blue eyes. They look extra blue today, under the diffused light of the grey sky. The blue reminds him of the Caribbean sea - clear, endless, powerful, full of life - and it actually feels like diving in, when he gets lost in them. 

And he gets lost so easily. His husband leans back against the headrest and smiles at him, showing off his adorable hamster cheeks. (“Don‘t call ‘em that, Robert!”)

Yeah, life with little twins isn‘t always easy. 

But it is the best life he could ever imagine. 

The only life he wants. 

With the only man he wants.

_ You‘re all I wanted. All I could think about. _

His words 5 years ago. 

His thoughts every day.

“I would still say yes. You know?“ he whispers.

“I know.“

  
  
  


**2030**

They get out of the car, the July sun burning hot as hell. Aaron should really, really rethink that shitty idea of wearing a black shirt! 

“Aaron.“

He tenses up immediately, because it’s Robert‘s concerned voice. Short and clipped, a bit higher than normal.

“What?“

Aaron walks around the car to where his husband is standing at the roadside, staring into the bushes. He kinda suspects a dead animal or something. What he doesn‘t suspect are three bikes, lying in the high grass. 

And not just any bikes. They‘re kids bikes.

And not just any kids bikes. They‘re-

“Surpri-hiiiiise!“

Seb, Ben and Abi are jumping out of the bushes and showing their broadest grins.

“Shouldn‘t you be at nana Diane‘s?“ Robert says and brings his hands to his hips, looking very authoritative.

_ Phhhrrr, authoritative is such a good look on him! _

The twins‘ expression turns into The Pout, a look that definitely deserves the capitals, and Seb starts mourning: “But it was sooo boring there. And we heard you talking about coming to this lay-by so we thought we could surprise you!“

“Eavesdropping. Really nice of you, kids,“ Robert shakes his head and sighs.

Aaron is kind of glad that Robert loves playing the bad cop, because honestly, Aaron knows they can wrap him around their little fingers in no time. One sad look from Seb or - even worse - one chin wobble from the twins and he melts like ice in the sunshine. 

“Can we stay? Now that we‘re already here, papa? Pleeeease?”

It is no surprise that Seb addresses the question to him - because damn, they  _ know _ he‘s weak. 

_ Clever, calculating, cute little Gremlins. _

“Robert?“ he tries to get out of this situation.

His husband huffs a laugh. “Obviously you‘re deciding, pops.“

6 big eyes are looking at him, pure innocence and  _ cuteness _ .

“Yeah, okay, fine,“ Aaron says because he really is such a pushover. 

The twins squeal and hug his legs, Seb high fives him. He turns around to Robert who shakes his head, but Aaron knows he isn‘t annoyed for  _ real _ , it‘s just to keep that bad cop image alive. 

“What are you doing here anyway?“ Ben asks them.

Aaron stops himself from saying:  _ We are celebrating our proposal anniversary with an annual fuck on the back seat. _

There goes his annual fuck on the back seat, what a bloody shame. He sighs. 

“Your papa and I proposed to each other here, on this day, 12 years ago,“ Robert explains to them.

_ You did it last time, this is my turn! _

_ No, this was my plan all along. _

“It is also the place where we had our first kiss,“ Aaron adds with a smile.

“Eww!“ Seb grimaces and presses his hands against his ears. 

Aaron‘s dreading for puberty hitting full force, because their oldest is already a handful.

“We remember this every year here on July 30th,“ Robert continues, simply ignoring Seb.

They sit down on the grass beside the road and for the first time they spent the jinx anniversary together as a family. It‘s a good day. 

  
  
  


**2036**

Somehow their little annual jinx-proposal-rememberance-carfuck turned into a Sugden-Dingle gathering over the past few years. 

Not only Abi and Ben, Seb, his nice girlfriend named Maddie and Liv are there. Also Chas and Paddy (because Chas and Paddy are really _everywhere_ ) Eve and her boyfriend, Diane, Vic and Adam with their kids Vincent and Velvet.

Robert‘s got no idea how it came this far. This year their crazy families even brought tables and benches from the pub.

“Jesus…” Aaron mutters when Robert pulls over to stop. 

He has to smile. With the years his husband got even more grumpy, it was damn adorable, really. 

They get out and are immediately surrounded by their kids. Everybody hugs them and congratulates them on their anniversary. 

Diane is approaching him and Robert bends down to hug her. She turned 89 last month and she‘s sitting in a wheelchair, but to be honest, considering her medical background she is doing amazing.

“Happy anniversary, pet,“ she said and patted his cheek with her thin, wrinkly hand. 

Robert wonders if it‘s her last jinx celebration with them. The thought hurts in his chest although they hadn‘t always had the best relationship. At least it got better after the twins were born. 

“Thanks, Diane.“

“You know, I always found it funny that you celebrate the anniversary of your proposal bigger than your actual wedding day,“ she laughs.

He doesn‘t have the heart to tell her that they never planned for it to be a huge family party like that. It was supposed to be just the two of them, but then their wonderful, crazy kids had a different idea. 

“I guess it is about the moment where we decided on spending the rest of our lives together,” he says instead, because it‘s just as true. “And this lay-by is a special place for us.”

He grins and Diane groans which turns into a laugh quickly.

“Aww yeah, dad, tell us the story of your first kiss!“ Abi demands with a broad smile.

Half of the family groans, the other half cheers.

Every year they have to tell a story: of course about the famous jinx proposal, about how the first proposal ended in a horrible car crash, about their first wedding, about their second wedding. The first kiss is one of Abi‘s favourites though. 

“Abs, give your old man a break, he‘s 50 now,“ Aaron says and passes him a beer with a snicker and a wink.

_ Fucking hell. Fucking 50. _

It‘s hard to get his head around it. He is 50 now. Old. Bloody ancient. 

He doesn‘t feel old.

He looks at his husband who is only a few years behind him, and yeah, Aaron‘s hair is salt‘n‘pepper now - more pepper than salt, but Robert wouldn‘t mind if it‘s the other way around too - he still looks amazing. 

His own hair is getting a bit thinner, but Aaron loves to run his fingers through it, like he always does right before they fall asleep every night. There are wrinkles on Aaron‘s face, mostly on his forehead of course, a result of years of frowning and scowling.

“Stop ogling my son, it‘s creepy,“ Chas says, but there is no heat behind her words.

She nudges him and sneaks her arm around his waist to hug him and he hugs her back. It’s natural now, their fights from 20 years ago are long forgotten. There was an incident, where they ended up locked in the basement of the pub together. They got ridiculously drunk and ever since then, she went into full mum-mode for him. Lord help him, Chas Dingle is more like a mum to him than Diane ever was. 

“So,“ Robert clears his throat loudly, “our first kiss, yeah? I remember it as if it was yesterday…“

New groans, more laughter. Aaron rolls his eyes, but hides his smile behind his beer bottle.

“I had to think of something to meet Aaron on my own, and since he worked as a mechanic at the time, I faked a car break down.“

“More like to manipulate me, you mean,“ Aaron throws in, slightly smirking.

“Sh!“ Robert waves his hand towards him. “So when he arrived, he figured out quickly that there was nothing wrong with the car…“

_ There‘s nothing wrong with the car! _

_ I know I just told ya that. _

_ No, I mean I knew there was nothing wrong with the car, I made it up. _

_ So you‘re just like wasting my time? Is that how you get your kicks? _

_ What do you think? _

_ I think I don‘t like being messed around. _

_ Don‘t! I‘m not messing you around. _

_ Really? How‘s that? _

_ Cos you know why we‘re both still here. _

22 years later and they are still here. 

“Aaron thought I was messing him around…,“ Robert continued.

“Err, excuse me, you totally were!“ Chas butts in.

“Yup, I can confirm that,“ Paddy raises his hand like a schoolboy.

The others laugh and Aaron winks at him.

“Who‘s telling this story? You? Or me?“ Robert asks. Chas waves her hands for him to go on and he sighs. “Aaron thought I was messing him around, but I was  _ not _ . I just had to kiss him, it was like a magnetic pull…“

“He basically lunged at me, I thought he would bite my face off,“ Aaron jokes and Robert rolls his eyes.

_ Philistines, all of them. No sense for a romantic story. _

“A magnetic pull!“ he insists loudly, “In hindsight I‘d say I was in love with him already, but I didn‘t realise it back then.” He makes a pause there, because he‘s getting ‘aww‘s’ and ‘oh‘s’ from the others. “It took me a few more months to admit it and another few more to be sure that I-”

“....want to spend the rest of my life with him,“ Seb, Ben, Abi and Vic finish the sentence with him.

_ How often have I told this already? _

“This is a really nice story, Mr Sugden-Dingle,“ says Eve‘s boyfriend, a nice young lad named Elijah, obviously the only one who appreciates a bit of romance.

“Keep that one,“ Robert says to Eve, “I quite like him.“

They chat a bit and it‘s actually nice, this family gathering at the side of the road. Sure, they get some curious looks from the people driving by, but they don‘t really care. They‘re Sugden‘s and Dingle‘s after all. 

After a while Aaron gently pulls him aside.

“You remember how Natalie once asked if it was love at first sight and I said that I hated you?“

Robert snorts. “Nice way to start a conversation, Aaron.“

Aaron laughs, but then he gets serious again and his eyes even start tearing up.

“2015 was a fucking mess, Robert. And sometimes I wished I knew how to hate you, but I couldn‘t. I never could. Although we hurt each other so much and you were so damn cocky and arrogant...”

“Excuse me?“ Robert interrupts in mock-hurt. Deep down he knows what Aaron is trying to say. His husband isn‘t one for big declarations, it is hard for him to open up and talk about his feelings.

The situations are rare and pure and Robert learned to treasure them. 

Aaron takes his hands, intertwines their fingers.

“When I was younger I was terrified by the thought of holding hands with a bloke. And since I’ve known you I’m scared of the day when I can’t hold yours anymore. I love you, Robert, I always will, you know?”

_ You made it okay to be me. _

Robert starts grinning. Aaron smiles back at him, crying now. Robert pulls his hands free and lays them on these cute bearded cheeks. He softly wipes the tears away with his thumbs.

“I know.“

  
  
  


**2040**

They are alone with Seb, Abi and Ben, the rest of the clan is about to arrive soon. Sitting in the grass was definitely easier when he was 20, Aaron realises. Now his legs start getting numb quickly and he has to switch position every few minutes. But despite that it‘s nice, just them and the kids.

And fuck, they are so grown up now. They are  _ adults _ . How is that possible? Aaron swears, he changed their nappies only yesterday.

Seb is studying architecture at the University of Sheffield and he smashes all his courses. Ben works as a nurse in the premature baby unit and Abi went into the financial sector, being as good as her dad with numbers and clients.

They are good kids and Aaron and Robert are bursting with pride. They did a pretty decent job as parents. 

“Okay. I have to tell you something,“ Abi states and she looks tense.

Aaron is worried in a heartbeat, ready to kill anybody who might be hurting his baby girl. 

“What‘s up?“ Robert asks calmly and starts massaging Aaron‘s lower back as if to soothe him.

Abi is quiet, looks down, biting on her lip and frowning. God, she reminds Aaron so much of himself, it‘s bloody scary.

“When did you know you‘re bi?“ she suddenly wants to know and Robert is taken aback for about two seconds before he answers. 

“Err… when I was 15 I was crushing on a boy, but a few years later I fell in love with a girl named Katie… I knew that neither of them were ‘a phase’, but I wasn‘t ready to admit it at the time.“ Robert frowns. “The first person I told was Aaron.“

“When you proposed for the first time, right?“ Seb says and they both nod.

“Why are you asking sweetie?“ Robert uses his soft voice again.

“I think I am,“ she blurts out.

Aaron is stunned for a moment. Not because Abi is bi, but that she is so stressed out about telling them. One parent is bi himself, the other one gay, she should know that they would love and support her no matter which sex she is attracted to. 

It takes a few seconds for Aaron to understand it. She isn‘t struggling with coming out to  _ them _ , she is struggling with coming out to  _ herself _ . 

And yeah, Aaron can very much understand that. If Adam hadn‘t found him in time, none of them would be here today. His throat gets painfully tight. It took him a long way to accept himself and the same goes for his husband.

_ For the first time in years I quite like who I am. _

Robert hugs Abi long and tight, he whispers something in her ear that Aaron can‘t understand, then Abi is wrapped up in her brother‘s arms. It‘s a heartwarming sight, knowing that their family always sticks together. Aaron is the last one to hug her.

He pulls her close and the black curls tickle his face.

“I love you, baby girl,“ he says, using the old pet name although he knows it annoys her, “I‘m so proud.“

He still feels so protective about her, he wonders if that would ever change. Their little girl.

His vision swims away when he quickly tears up. He hates that this always happens when he gets emotional, but he can‘t help it.

“Are you crying, papa?“ Abi asks, face still hidden against his neck, but he can hear her grinning.

“No,“ he cries.

It amazes him that she chose this place of all places to tell them. That lay-by. Some of the most memorable things in his life happened here and continued to happen. 

“C‘mon guys, family picture!“ Seb shouts.

They chuckle and try to get into position. Squeezing five adults in a selfie isn‘t easy, but somehow they manage it.

Seb smiles like a sunny boy, Ben‘s mouth is twisted because he was saying something, Abi makes a duck face, Robert has his eyes half closed and Aaron‘s are still red and glassy.

_ Brilliant. _

Aaron snorts and looks at his family.

“Well, this might be one of our best pics.“

  
  
  


**2048**

Aaron is drunk.

Robert watches him like a hawk, trying to prevent that he‘s doing something stupid. He wishes he could get wasted too, but someone has to keep a clear mind.

This year is the worst. His husband can barely sit anymore and just opened another beer, the kids are quietly crying, Eve and her boyfriend are sitting in a tight embrace further away down the road, Adam and Vic are weirdly silent and Paddy is running around like a headless chicken, trying to hand out bloody cake although nobody is hungry.

They are all dressed in black. Because this year this isn‘t a jinx anniversary celebration, this year it‘s a fucking wake.

Chas was diagnosed with cancer only 5 months ago and surgery and chemo didn‘t help.

She died 4 days ago and they buried her earlier in the day. 

He is worried for Aaron, he doesn‘t take it well. And this is the understatement of the year. Robert tries to keep a brave face himself for the kids sake. Now they lost her second nana.

And Robert misses her too. He really learned to love her. Ha, who would have thought that 30 years ago? Damn, she had been annoying and unfair and harsh and interfering. 

Of course she had to die a few days before their anniversary. He huffs out a laugh and looks up into the sky. 

_ Interfering until the bloody end… right, Chas? _

  
  
  


**2050**

Her body is so hot, she is like a little heater really. Aaron can‘t help but stare. The cute little nose is curved upwards, the lips are full and rosy and glistening with spit, because Anna loves to suckle on her bottom lip.

Aaron is afraid to move, not wanting to wake up the baby in his arms. His first grandchild.

_ Fuck, I‘m officially old. 58 years and a granddad. _

Seb and his wife Maddie chose a traditional, old name and Aaron is pretty proud that they went for a biblical one to keep the tradition alive. He likes Anna, it‘s so much better than Shilah, Apple or Krisha or all that modern stuff. 

It still feels like yesterday when he carried Ben and Abi around like that. When they were so damn tiny and precious. Anna twists her little face and makes a little noise, then she relaxes again - maybe she‘s dreaming. Or pooping.

Aaron smiles. 

“Hey you,“ Robert says softly and sits beside him on the hood. 

“Hi,“ he smiles back. 

They sit together in silence, absolutely in awe of the little girl. A little miracle.

The others gather around the food on the huge table that Adam had organised. Aaron looks over to them. He worries about Paddy, he’s deteriorated a lot since Chas died. The thought that he might be the next one who would leave them, makes him incredibly sad. 

But this is the way things go. He strokes Anna’s head softly. The next generation is already here, ready to explore their own adventures, to create their own memories.

Aaron looks back at Robert. He is going to retire soon. His husband - a pensioneer. It should be weird that Aaron still finds him attractive, but it isn‘t. Because Robert is a real best ager. Yeah, his hair is thinner now and he wears it a bit longer, but it fits him well and Aaron loves to cradle and pull it. Robert hasn‘t gained much additional weight, he is still tall and slim, all long limbs like a giraffe. He continues to love wearing his floral shirts although they are harder and harder to get. They are old fashioned, their kids always say. 

“Can‘t believe we‘re granddads now,“ Robert shakes his head.

“Aww, don‘t worry, you‘re still a  _ hot _ granddad,“ Aaron grins. 

Robert tries to tickle him and Aaron pulls back quickly.

“Oi, you‘re waking Anna!”

“Nice try, grampa.“

They look at each other's eyes and start laughing. God, Aaron loves him so much. Maybe even more than when they were younger, although he hadn‘t thought that would be possible. But the love has grown, it‘s deeper now. Aaron leans over and kisses his husband softly. 

“Happy jinx anniversary.“

“Happy anniversary.“

_ You changed my life, Aaron.  _

Aaron’s gaze flickers over the green eyes and the freckles, when Robert’s words echo in his head and he knows that it is in fact just the other way around. 

  
  
  


**2056**

The car pulls over and Robert says: “Park!“

His husband is sulky, he hates that cars drive all by themselves now and only need vocal orders. Bless his old mechanic heart, that new technology really isn‘t his. 

It‘s early, around 7am. They never told anybody, but after their family turned the 30th of July into a mass event and after the kids were old enough, they started to come here in the early morning. Just the two of them.

“C‘mon, Azza,“ Robert smiles at him.

“Is that your pick up line?“ Aaron teases him.

_ Little shit! _

“Do I need one?“ he shoots back.

He doesn‘t wait for a response and just leaves the car, only to slip on the backseat a moment later. Aaron springs to action, which causes a smirk on Robert‘s face. Everything else would have been a massive surprise. 

The family might have crashed their  _ afternoon _ jinx-anniversary-backseat-sex, so they simply found an alternative timeslot.

Aaron kisses him fiercely and the force and intensity of it is just like it was four decades ago. 

Aaron still has a scruff and it still sends shivers down Robert‘s spine. 

Aaron‘s hands still feel electrifying on his skin.

Aaron still knows how to take him apart and put him together again piece by piece.

_ No one‘s ever come close. And they never will.  _

Yeah, times are changing. But some things stay the same.

  
  
  


**2063**

It‘s a weird year. Seb and his family are travelling around in Europe. Abi and Ben are invited to a wedding of an old school friend. Liv moved to the US a few years ago and this time she couldn‘t make it in July. Adam got ill and Vic decided to stay with him. Eve shows up only sporadically since Chas died.

For the first time in over 30 years they are actually alone.

It‘s weird. Quiet.

Aaron lays his hand on Robert‘s and looks down. They are wrinkly now and have little brown dots. Age marks. 

_ At least until you‘re 80 or something. _

They have almost reached that mark.

Robert squeezes him back. 

“I miss the kids,“ he says.

And their grandchildren. They have three now. 

“Yeah, it‘s weird.“

Of course Robert speaks out what Aaron is thinking, it makes him smile. 

“Aaron?“

He hums and looks at his husband. Robert has this soft expression on his face and Aaron knows that he is about to say something that will make him emotional. He just knows it. 

“Thank you, for convincing me 43 years ago to ask Natalie to be our surrogate.“

Aaron swallows hard past the lump in his throat.

“She gave us brilliant kids.“

“The best,“ Aaron whispers and damn, of course he‘s tearing up now. The kids will never  _ not _ turn him into a sappy idiot. 

“I think we did it right with them.” Robert‘s chin wobbles and that‘s it, Aaron is done for.

His eyes start watering, everything gets blurry. He  _ knew _ it!

“Do you think they‘ll still come here? When we’re gone?“ Robert asks quietly.

And Aaron is  _ not _ ready to think stuff like that!

“Stop it!“ he nudges Robert in the side and wipes his eyes. 

The summer sun shines hot on his black shirt, but Aaron doesn‘t mind it much. He freezes easily lately and the warmth feels good, it radiates deep down to his bones, eases the pain. 

In his mind he is still somewhat twenty, but his body unfortunately disagrees. Aches and pains are constant companions now, mostly in his back. The result of being hunched over trunks half of his life. 

Robert‘s got hip problems and arthrosis. They look after each other as good as they can, their independence is important to them. Robert Sugden-Dingle doesn‘t belong in a retirement home, it‘s like putting an exotic parrot in a cage. 

“I think they‘ll still come. Keep telling their kids about this lay-by, about what it means to us. I‘d like that.“

_ It‘s not just some random lay-by, is it? _

Aaron stays silent at that. Yeah, he‘d like that too. But he doesn’t want to think about that, not now, now they are still here.

“Fuck you for making me cry,“ he says instead, managing a crooked smile.

“You cry when you see a baby bunny on telly, Aaron,“ Robert snorts.

_ God, why do I even love this idiot?! _

Aaron looks at Robert and he knows why. 

  
  
  


**2068**

The sun just rose above the fields and the scenery is golden. The corn is swaying softly in the summer wind. It‘ll get chopped soon. It looks peaceful, beautiful, like from a commercial. 

Robert hates it, despises it. 

_ How fucking dare the world to be going on like normal?  _

He feels cold, although it is close and hot already. It‘s so damn silent in the car, because the passenger seat is empty, it‘s fucking empty like his heart. 

It was  _ not _ supposed to be like this. Robert is so angry, he wants to scream and so he does. Who cares anyway, he is  _ alone _ after all. He lets out a deep roar until his throat hurts, and although they say you feel better when you let it all out, it‘s not true. 

_ Fuck you, Aaron! Fuck you! _

He was the older one, he should have bloody gone first! Some villagers had the audacity to tell him that it was a ‘good way to go’. 

It was a heart attack, quick and sudden. 

And so so cruel. One moment, Aaron was there and the next moment he wasn‘t. No time to prepare, no time to even say goodbye.

He wanted to hit the people who said it to him with a rusty shovel. Ben dragged him away, before he could do something really stupid.

It hurts. It hurts so much, he often can‘t even breathe. It was months ago and it doesn‘t get any better. Robert is not supposed to live in a world without Aaron. He thought about taking his life, more than once, but he knows he can‘t because of the kids and the grandkids. They are the only thing that keeps him going.

Aaron would kick his arse for just thinking about it. He almost hears the raspy voice scolding him in his head. 

Robert looks through the windshield, still mad at the world for going on like normal.

Their lay-by had seen so many life changing, exciting, happy and also sad moments through the decades.

Fucking 50 years. Their jinx proposal was 50 years ago.

The kids talked with him about soulmates, that what he and Aaron had, was something special. It truly was. It still is.

_ You‘re all I wanted. All I could think about. _

Robert leans his head back and closes his eyes. 

  
  
  


**2072**

“Why are we here at this lay-by, Mr S?“ Anna‘s new boyfriend asks and Seb really doesn‘t like him.

He rolls his eyes at his daughter who gives an apologetic shrug in response, because why exactly did she have to bring him here? At least she looks like she‘s sorry.

“This isn‘t just a lay-by,“ Ben says and Abi adds: “It‘s  _ the _ lay-by.“

“We come here every year. It‘s a tradition. We remember our parents.“

“They really were the best uncles ever!“ Vincent smiles. Him and his sister Velvet are Victoria‘s and Adam‘s kids, they sometimes show up here to share their own stories about Robert and Aaron. 

“Well the competition was Ross, so that basically says nothing,“ an old, raspy voice pipes up.

“Auntie Liv!” Abi rushes towards her and hugs her.

“We didn‘t know you were coming, we could have picked you from the airport,“ Ben says.

Liv waves him off. She is old, but she is quite fit, her ponytail is white, the cheeks still rosy. Yoga and vegan food is keeping her healthy, she always says.

They sit together in silence, everybody thinking about moments with Aaron and Robert. Suddenly Abi looks up in the sky and snorts.

“What?“ Seb asks her, already half grinning himself.

“Can you imagine them both in heaven? I wonder what they‘re doing right now?“

Liv winces and pulls a grimace. “What do you think? Probably doing the horizontal.“

“Oh my god, gross!“ Seb, Ben and Abi burst out simultaneously. 

Seb looks around and grins. “Jinx?“

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, let me know 🙂
> 
> Join us tonight on twitter, we are rewatching the proposal episode together 🥰


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